Cultivator



Jan. 25, 1955 J. H. STARR 2,700,330

CULTIVATOR Original Filed March 20, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR- JOHNH. STARR A ORNEYS J. H. STARR Jan. 25, 1955 CULTIVATOR 2 Sheets-Shet 2Original Filed March 20, 1948 INVENTOR.

United States. Patent F CULTIVATOR John H. Starr, Mayville, Wis.,assignor to John Deere Van Brunt Company, Horicon,-Wis.",.a corporation.of Wiscousin Original: application -March 20, 1948, 'Serial No. 16,047,now-Patent'No. 2,626,547,. dated. January 27, 1953. Divided and thisapplication January 12, 1952,- Serial No. 266,228

1 Claim; (Cl. 97'46.59)

This application isa division .of my co-pending application, Serial No.-16,047, filed March 20, 1948, for Cultivators, now U. S. Patent2,626,547, issued January 27, "195-3.

The present invention relates. generally to agricultural implements andmore: particularly to implements that: are adapted 'to be. mounted. on atractor to be propelled thereby and controlled by. the operator on thetractor.

T he object and general nature of thepresentinvention is the provisionof an agricultural implement,.particularly adapted for use witlitractorshaving a power lift unit and wherein the. connections are such thatopera tion of the power lift unit serves to control the depth ofoperation, which is substantially maintained, and may also be utilizedto raise the tools-into their transport position easily and rapidly.

More specifically,.annimportant feature ofthis invention is theprovision of new and improved connections with the tractorpower liftsystem whereby the implement may automatically be lowered eachtimeto agiven working position but the connectionsare so constructed and;arranged as to provide for additional lowering by the tractor powerlift'mechanism, where desired.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawlngs.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of the rear portion of a tractor mounted fieldcultivator in which the principles of the present invention have beenincorporated.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the implement shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side view of a portion of the automatic depthcontrol, taken generally along the line 66 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an explanatory view of the tractor power lift valve unit.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly Figures 1 and 2, the tractoron which the implement of the present invention is mounted is indicatedin its entirety by the reference numeral 1 and so far as thepresentinvention is concerned is largely conventional. The tractor 1 isprovided with a frame containing or supporting a power plant, such as agasoline engine, and is carrled on front wheels (not shown) and a pairof relatively widely spaced rear traction wheels fixed to axle shafts 5that are journaled for rotation in a rear axle structure. The tractor 1is also provided with a power lift unit 7 which includes suitableoperating mechanism, including a valve control member in the form of anoperating lever 8, and a lifting member in the form of a rockshaft 9 onwhich power lift arms are secured for movement between a loweredposition and an upper or raised position.

The operating unit or implement chosen to illustrate the presentinvention is shown as a spring tooth field cultivator indicated in itsentirety by reference numeral 20. The cultivator 20 incorporates a frame150 which includes right and left hand generally longitudinallyextending frame bars, preferably in the form of angles indicated at 151and 152, the rear ends of which are turned upwardly, forming upwardlyand rearwardly angled sections to which the cross bars and other partsof the cultivator 20 are connected. The present invention 2,700,330unmasked-25, 1955 is not concerned with theparticular details of theground working elements of the cultivator 20, since they are old per se.

In the illustrated form of the present invention, the twoangle bars 151and 152 are connected together at their forward ends by a U-shaped anglebar 153. Also connected to the front ends of. the frame bars 151'.and152 is a pair of. hitch straps 15.4. Theforward ends of the hitch strapsare apertured to receive bolts 155and 156 by which the frame 150isconnected to a pair of fore and aft swingable hitch links 157 and 158.The upper ends of the links are pivotally connected, as at 159, to. adraft bracket structure .160, preferably comprising a pair ofverticalplates 161 detachably connected, as by bolts 163, to the side.angles of the tractor frame. The draft brackets 161 are disposedlaterally outwardly at their lower ends, as indicated at 165, to formconvenient connection points by .which.the front ends of a pair of draft.links 167 maybe pivotally connected therewith, as by an adjustableswivel 168. By virtue of the forward sideofthe transverse frame angle153. contacting the lowerv portions of the brackets 151, the frame158'isprevented from swinging forwardly far enough to permit the frame bar .25to strike the-rear tires of thetractor. The frame 150 is free to swingrearwardly.

The rear ends of the draft links 167. are connected to the front ends ofcha'ins171, and the rear end of each of the chains 171 isv connected toa cam element172 which forms a part ofa rotatable cam member .175mounted for rocking, asat 176, on the associated frame banv The rear endof the chain 171 is connected to the camv element 172 .by a pin or thelike, as indicated at 17 .7 in;Figure 3.

Each of .thecam. members 175- includes a second cam element 181.towhichthe lower end of a chain182 is connected, .as.at 183: Each. ofthe chains 182 extends upwardly from. the.carn.member.175 over theroller184 mounted on the rear end of an arm 185 which is fixed to the rear endof the power lift rockshaft 9. The forward end of the chain 182 extendsunderneath the associated rear axle extension and is adjustably engagedwith a hook member 187 that is fixed to the forward side of the axlehousing at that side of the tractor. Each of the power lift arms 185 isextended forwardly, as at 191, and is formed with a forward hooked end192 to which a limit chain 193 is connected, the lower end of the chain193 being engaged with the hook 187. Preferably, the chain 193 has asuflicient number of additional links so that when engaging any one of anumber of links at either end of the chain with the associated hooksection, 187 or 192, the downward movement of the associated power liftarm 185, counterclockwise as best shown in Figure 1, may be limited, asdesired.

In the instant form of invention, the shaft portion 197 of the valvelever 8 of the power lift unit 7 includes or carries movable means inthe form of an abutment plate 198, preferably clamped thereto as shownin Figure 3. The adjacent end of the power lift rockshaft 9 carries acollar 201 or other suitable means which is provided with an adjustingmember 202, preferably in the form of a threaded crank member having aninner end 203 that is adapted to engage the abutment 198 when the powerlift rockshaft is moved into a lowered position, the abutment of themember 203 against the part 198 and subsequent movement of the member203 serving to automatically return the valve member 8 to a neutralposition, terminating further lowering of the power lift rockshaft 9.Turning the member 202 into different positions will result in theautomatic termination of the lowering movement at different points, thusresulting in the implement always being lowered to the same point forany given adjustment of the member 202. The parts are shown in theirlowered position in Figure 3.

The present invention is not especially concerned with the particulardetails of the power lift unit 7 and therefore it will be suflicient forpurposes of description of the present invention to note that the powerlift unit 7 is of the type in which the first portion of the movement ofthe valve control lever 8 in either direction produces a relatively slowmovement of the rockshaft 9, whereas a greater extent of movement of thecontrol lever 8 produces a relatively fast movement of the rockshaft 9.It will also be noted that the abutment plate 198 is so disposedrelative to the adjustable abutment 202 carried by the rockshaft 9 thatafter the end 203 has contacted the abutment plate 198 and returned thevalve lever 8 to its neutral position there is still sufiicient space,indicated by the reference character s in Figure 3, to provide foradditional movement of the valve lever 8 in slow speed range.

This action will be understood more readily by refer ence to Figure 4 inwhich a portion of the valve mechanism is shown. Referring now to Figure4, it will be noted that the control lever 8 is fixed to or forms a partof a control rockshaft 229 to which a pair of cam members 231 and 232are connected. The cam member 231 is provided with a central recessedsection 233 into which a spring pressed plunger 234 is normallydisposed. Movement of the valve lever 8 out of its neutral position butwithin its slow speed range, as indicated by a broken line 8a, isyieldingly resisted by the spring pressed plunger 234, and the lattermember acts to automatically return the valve lever 8 to its central andneutral position as soon as the operator releases his hold. However,movement of the valve lever 8 into its high speed lifting range, asindicated by the positions 812, causes the roller 236 on a second springpressed unit 237 to engage one or the other of the corner portions 238of the cam member 232. This engagement is arranged to hold the valvelever 8 in its high speed position against the action of the springpressed plunger unit 234. However, a slight movement of the valve lever8 in its high speed position toward its neutral position is sufiicientto cause the shouldered portions 38 to ride away from the roller 236,whereupon the spring pressed unit 234 then acts automatically to returnthe valve lever 8 to its neutral position. The action of the adjustablemember 202 in engaging the abutment member 198 thus serves to return thevalve lever 8 from its high speed position to its neutral position, butleaving sufficient space s for subsequent movement of the valve lever Sinto and out of its slow speed range 8a, 8a. Thus, the member 202 may bead usted to automatically stop the lowering of the rear tools at a givenpoint but to yet provide for some additional lowering under the manualcontrol of the operator.

While I have shown and described above the preferred structure in whichthe principles of the present invention have been incorporated, it is tobe understood that my invention is not to be limited to the particulardetails shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely differentmeans may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of myinvention.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In an agricultural implement adapted to be connected with a tractorhaving a hydraulic power lift unit including a lifting member, a controlvalve member movable from a neutral position into a slow operatingposition and a fast operating position for operating said liftingmember, resilient means for automatically returning the control memberto its neutral position from its slow operation position, and means forreleasably holding said control member in its fast operating position,the combination therewith of an implement adapted to be movablyconnected with the tractor, means for connecting said lifting memberwith said implement, an abutment movable with and adjustable on thelifting member for shifting said valve control member from its fastoperating position into its neutral position for terminating movement ofsaid implement operating unit, there being sufiicient space between saidabutment member and the adjacent portion of said valve control member toprovide for subsequent movement of said valve control member from itsneutral position into its slow operating position, an extensiondetachably connectible to said control valve member, and said abutmentmember comprising a part connectible to move with said lifting memberand a screw-threaded adjustable section movably carried by said part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,929,804 Brown Oct. 10, 1933 2,532,552 Jirsa et al Dec. 5, 19502,566,779 Stutzke Sept. 4, 1951

